Showcase construction



Jan. 9, 1940;

A. VANDERVELD 2,186,278

Filed Jan. 18, 1939 F Anihon \lgndexveld g 2 8 n. M

1940- A. VANDERVELD 2,186, 78

Filed Jan. 18, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 15 V AnThon \lmigvdd omvhs Patented Jan. 9, 1940 Anthony Vanderveld, Grand Rapids, Mich., assignor to Grand Rapids Store Equipment Company, GrandRapids, Mich., a

Michigan corporation "of Application January18, 1939, Serial No. 251,538

9 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in showcase constructions, and is more particularly concerned with a novel means for tying together the opposed front upper corners of the ends of a showcase which has a glass top, and front, and

ends and may be provided with overlapping slid-.

ing doors in the back. The ends are vertical and may be either substantially wholly of wood, or have wood frames surrounding glass. It is at the upper front corners of the ends myinvention is to be applied for not only supporting and holding said upper corner portions against outward spreading, but'for drawing the end members of the showcase against the ends of the top glass plate, and for securing and holding them in such position. And if at anylater time it is necessary to further adjust the connecting and securing means which I have invented, it may be very readily accomplished. Y

a The invention'and the preferred structure embodying the same may be understood from the following "description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a showcase from the front and looking downwardly thereon to which my invention has been applied.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan of the showcase, the top glass being removed but illustrated in dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section immediately back of the front glass plate of the case.

Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section from front to rear and adjacent the front end, substantially on the plane of line 6 4 of Fig. 2.

Fig; 5 is a transverse section from front to rear of the showcase and adjacent one end thereof.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section substantially on the plane ofline 66 of Fig.5, looking in the directionindicated by the arrows.

Fig. 7 is a plan view showing my invention applied to a diiferent form of showcase than that shown in Fig. 1, and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the'tightening and reinforcing means'used therewith.

Like reference characters refer to'like parts in the different figures of the drawings.

The ordinary showcase as shown in Fig. 1 has a base I, vertical ends 2, and a glass top 3 which extends between the ends and, as shown, is received in rabbeted recesses made longitudinally of the ends 2, there being left upwardly extending lips tone at the outer side and upper edge of each of the ends2 and the full length thereof. The front is of glass, while at the back the usual overlapping sliding doors are slidably mounted, the construction and installationof which form no part of the present invention.

A horizontal barii extends betweenthe rear upper corner portions of the ends 2 and over it and at its rear portion has a finishing bar 6 secured thereto, the rear edge thereof coming against'the front edge of the bar 6. This provides a secure connection between the ends 2 at their rear uppercorners. I

In one end, the right handend 2, asshown in Fig. l, a longitudinal groove is made at the upper edge thereof extending substantially the full length but terminating slightly short of the front of the end 2, in which groove a rod 1 is mounted, extending at its backend through the bar 5, and having a transverse slot 8 therein for the reception of the end of ascrew driveni The front end of rod 1 isslotted and one end of a length 9 of a fiat ribbon of metal is connected thereto, being partially rolled therearound, as at I0, and having the. immediate end portion received in the slot (see Fig. 3). The ribbon member 9. extends underneath the glass 'top- 3 substantially the full length thereof, to and over the upper end of the opposite end 2 of the showcase, and is anchored by bending around an'anchor block ll which is inset in the upper edge of said oppositeend 2 and secured in'place by screws. I2. The rod 1 may be turned by engaging the slot 8 with a screwdriver to tension the metal ribbon 9 and draw' the front uppercorner portions of the ends 2 toward each other and bring the upstanding ribs 4 snugly against the endedges of the glass top 3.,

At the rear end of the rod'l a block I3 is inset in the end 2 of the showcase which carries said rod, and also in the adjacent end of the cross bar 5, (Figs. 5 and 6) and 'is secured in place by a screw i 4. The front upper portion of the block is cutaway and in the recess thus'made a locking member I5 is placed having its upper end concaved toconform to the curvature of'the rod 1, its lower end being out downwardly and forwardly at an angle to the horizontal and vertical, and fitting against a correspondingly shaped inclinedend in the recess, as indicated at iii in Fig. 5. An ad justing screw ll passes from the rear through the block [3 and threads into the locking' member [5. By tightening such screw the locking member 15 is moved upwardly to bearagainst the rod land hold it against rotation. Loosening the screw ll releases the hold which is made against rotation of the-rod 1. Thus the'rod 1 maybe turnedto tighten the ribbon tension member 9 andheld in any position to which adjusted by tightening the screw it, while of course a release of the screw ll will release the rod 1 for any subsequent adjustment. With this construction the front upper corner portions of the ends 2 of the showcase are held and secured against any tendency to warp or spring outward or otherwise separate from the end. edges of the upper or top glass plate 3. p

In Figs. 7 and 8 the invention is applied to a different form of showcase, in which there are three sections, 3a, 3b and 3c disposed, as shown in Fig. 7, at angles to each other. .One of the end sections, for example 30, will carry the rod I at its outer vertical end, while the other end section, 3a, at its vertical outer end will carry the anchoring block l l. The connecting metal ribbon in three sections, 9a, 9b and 90, corresponding to the three sections of the showcase, have the adjacent ends of said ribbon sections spot-welded to angle blocks 18 which are located at the front upper corners where the sections to, 3b and 30 come together. In this manner the ribbon sections 9a, 9b and 9c are made in effect integral but with a change in direction to correspond with the change in direction in the fronts of the sections of the case. The connection of one end of the member as to the anchor block H and of the member 90 to the rod I is the same as before,

the rotation and tightening by rotating the rod 1 is the same and the holding of the rod 1 in any position to which rotatively adjusted is accomplished in the same way.

The construction described, while of a relatively simple character, is very practical, useful and effective for the purposes for which it has been produced.

The invention is defined in the appended claims and is to be considered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within their scope.

I claim:

1. In a structure of the class described, an enclosure having a bottom, vertical ends, front and top, tie means anchored at one end thereof on one of said vertical ends at its upper portion and extending underneath said top across to the other vertical end, and rotatable means to which the other end of said tie means is connected extendi-ng substantially perpendicular to said tie means for tensioning the same to thereby hold said ends from outward warping or spreading at their'upper portions.-

2. A showcase structure comp-rising, a bottom, vertical ends, a glass front and a glass top, a horizontal bar connecting the rear upper corners of said ends, a strip of metal anchored at one end to the upper edge portion and adjacent the front edge of one of said vertical ends-of the showcase, and extending horizontally underneath said top to the upper front corner of the opposite vertical end of the showcase, and a rotatable member extending substantially perpendic ular tosaid strip to which the other end of the metal strip is secured, combined with means for mounting said rotatable member on said other vertical end of the showcase whereby it may be turned to impart tension of said metal strip.

3. A construction containing the elements in combination defined in claim 2, said vertical ends at their upper edges and lengthwise thereof each having an upwardly extending rib located against the adjacent end edge of saidtop, said ribs being drawn against the end edges of said top upon tensioning said metallic strip.

. 4. A showcase comprising, a bottom, vertical ends, a glass top, and a glass front, a horizontal bar extending between and connecting the rear upper corner portions of said ends of the showcase, an elongated thin strip of metal anchored at one end to the front upper corner portion of one of the vertical ends of the showcase'and extending horizontally underneath said top to the front upper corner of the opposite vertical end of the showcase, a rod located lengthwise of and at the upper edge portion of said last mentioned vertical end of the showcase, the other end of said metallic strip being connected thereto whereby rotating the rod about its axis in one direction will tend to shorten said strip, said rod at its rear end being accessible at the back of the showcase and having means at its rear end for application of a tool thereto to rotate said rod.

5. A construction containing the elements in combination defined in claim l, combined with a pressure block mounted adjacent and adapted to hear at one end against a side of the rotatable rod, and means for releasably forcing said pressure block against the rod to frictionally enand hold it from rotation.

6. A construction containing the elements in combination defined in claim 4, combined with a block at the rear upper portion of the showcase through v .iich the rear end of said rod passes, said block having a recess at its inner side through which the rod passes, the end of said recess farthest away from the rod being inclined to the plane of said block, and a member located in said recess shaped to bear at one end against a rounded surface of the rod and at the other end inclined to correspond with the inclined end of said recess, and means operable from the rear side of the block for moving said member inward into said recess and thereby imparting a longitudinal movement thereto to press it against said rod, as specified.

7. A showcase comprising, a bottom, vertical ends, a glass top and a glass front, means connecting the rear portions of said vertical ends to hold them against outward warping or spread-- ing, and an elongated thin metal strip located underneath the front portion of the top and extendingbetween the upper corner portions of said vertical ends and connected at one end to one corner portion, combined with manually operable rotatable means connected with the other end of said metallic strip and extending substantially perpendicular thereto for adjusting its effective length and'providing tension between the front upper corners of said vertical ends of the showcase to hold them against outward warping and spreading.

8. In a structure of the class described, an enclosure having a bottom, vertical ends, front and top, tie means anchored at one end thereof on one of said vertical ends at its upper portion and extending underneath said top across to the other vertical end, means to which the other end of said tie means is connected extending substantially perpendicular to said tie means for tensioning the same to thereby hold said ends from outward warping or spreading at their upper portions, and means including a block movable toward and away from said tensioning means for releasably holding same in any position to which it is adjusted.

9. A showcase having a bottom, vertical ends, a glass front and a glass top, said ends at their upper edges having upwardly extending longitudinal ribs at their outer sides within which the end edges of said top are receiyed, tie means 7 extending between the upper front corner r-.,

one end to one vertical end of the showcase, and

rotatable means connected tothe other end of said tie means, extending from the front to the;

.fear of thecase to adjust the tension of said tie meanswhereby said ribs may be held against I the adjacent end edges of the top. I

ANTHONY VAN'DERVELD. 

